care2_homepage

Originally uploaded by lewilson23

As the Director of Product Management for Care2.com, my biggest challenge thus far has been launching Care2's new brand and website. After many hurdles and a lot of hard work, it launched on time on August 19th.

Click here for more screenshots.

Care2 is the largest and most trusted information and action site for regular people who care to make a difference in their lives and the world.

In Hong Kong we can see thousands of 7Eleven 24/7 convenience stores. Its a fact that the success of convenience stores and restaurants in Hong Kong come partially through a culture and environment where nobody cooks at home and millions of people have a busy fast paced life. Hence,  convenience is even more demanding here.

7Eleven stores differentiate themselves well from Circle K (direct competitors). Its not only notoriuos due to the higher presence on the streets, but also taking in account other indicators such as 9th place on Asia's top brands 2008 (from Hong Kong Media magazine/TNS).

There is a multitude of factors that put 7Eleven on top, a management team leading to a healthy growth and increased franchises, intellegent targeted marketing campaigns, amazing logistics system, etc.. Though, I believe the main factors which can explain the sucess of 7Eleven here in Hong Kong and perhaphs around other countries such as in the US, are uncovered through a powerful branding strategy. 

- The store design, layout and product disposition are very efficiently implemented. In each store, you see several 'touchpoints' - upper colors around the walls, employees uniform, store furniture, price labels, etc.  Very strict brand guidelines are implemented in every store, making an extremely solid communication. Vivant three colors and simple design make easy to catch and memorize within its concept. In a glance, reminds the effective Mac'Donalds brand communication.

- Clear product disposition and continuing item replacing nurtured by the amazing logistics network, makes unbeatable and fullfilling promises, allowing the consumer to go through the cycle of reminding - taking fast decisions - fast product pick-up = value (time) . This combined with competitive prices and dynamic promotions (e.g.: take 2 for reduced price) = value (money).

- The sustained growth based on franchises allowed a high presence in every corner, making it a retail convenience brand next to the people - to the consumer. Plus, a continuous strategical store placement whether at relevant 'juicy populated' places, or within a well targeted audience in some cases (e.g.: next to a nightlife place; or in US along the highways). This allowed to create a story with each consumer, building a powerful and strong emotional connection.

Other day when with a friend entering 7Eleven with a Circle K next to it, I asked my friend why we were getting our stuff in one store and not the other, if what we were about to buy is exactly the same product, at the same price?  the response was fast - "because 7Eleven is special, it is my 'breakfast corner' sometimes, my afternoon 'pick up something source', and my 'buddy at evening' to get some drinks. I developed a special affection with this place!". His story.

Even better, check this NYTimes article.

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1. Market to everyone. After all, everyone is a consumer.

2. Never mind the importance of understanding your target market. Or respecting them. Why the hell would you want to do that? Besides, knowing your consumer means research and that stuff is expensive.

3. Disregard specific objectives and strategy. Marketing is dynamic, so why paint yourself into a corner? Obviously the only objective is to increase sales and the only strategy is to create "outside of the box" and "engaging" advertising. Duh.

4. Hyper-inflate your brand's importance. Hey, you may be marketing the biggest piece of crap to come from China in the last five years, but you know that consumers are stupid. In fact, they're fortunate that an astute and caring company like yours is selling said piece of crap.

5. Micromanage your creative team. You may pay them to do a specific job very different than your own, but you get paid more so that means your opinions are more important. Plus you're smarter and know what's best for the consumer, even if they don't. Oh yeah, you also know that your boss loves horses and her own image. And exclamation points. Lots and lots of exclamation points. And what's important is that your gut tells you that those things work.

6. Be reactive. Why take a chance on unproven advertising when you can let others make the mistakes first? Copy Build on their successes and make them your own. Who cares if they're not in the same category? What works for one, works for all.

This blog is scheduled to come down by 5 p.m. Central Time on Monday, September 8th, 2008 at the request of the Society for Healthcare Strategy and Market Development.

I would like to clarify that this blog was never sanctioned, monitored nor approved by the Society, its Board of Directors nor staff. The intention of this blog was to provide a resource for attendees of SHSMD's annual educational conference where they could find out more about the sessions being held, learn about topic relevant to their roles as healthcare marketers, planners and public relations experts, as well as participate in an online community I created and promoted.

It is unfortunate that this blog had to be ended before the conference, as many more posts were created and awaiting publishing. In addition, post-event coverage was planned.

If you would like more information on the circumstances, view any of the past entries or learn more about social marketing and the fantastic possibilities it holds for the healthcare industry, please contact me at jtome@dcinteractivergroup.com.

See you at the conference!

Jim Tome

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By David Alston on Friday, August 1st, 2008

(Republished from a guest post David Alston, Radian6's VP Marketing, did on the TopRank Online Marketing Blog on May 8, 2008)

Customers, prospects and peers are discussing your brand, your industry and your competitors right now in social media: with or without you. Unfortunately, choosing not to listen doesn't make those conversations go away.

Social media has simplified the art of the soapbox shout. Information is shared with the masses now using easy-to-use Web 2.0 tools and is recorded and cached for infinity. A shout out loud in social media has no geographic boundaries and is not time-limited. These two points make the non-stop monitoring of social media an important to-do for any brand owner. And monitoring social media does not just mean blogs. It should include video and image sharing sites and microblogging sites like Twitter, along with opinion and discussion forums.

As a provider of the tools for monitoring hundreds and even thousands of well known brands online, we've found a multitude of reasons for paying attention to what's being said in social media. Here are the top ten:

The complaint - Watch for posts complaining about your products or services, company, and staff. Catching something early means getting a chance to show how responsive you are. A complaint is an opportunity to demonstrate problem-solving abilities. A posted complaint may also draw out other comments from people with the same concern, which provides an opportunity to reach out to them as well. And who knows, impressing customer with great customer service may generate some positive posts about how you resolved the problems.

The compliment - Compliments can come in many forms. It could be a congratulations message about a recent award. It could be a customer raving about the experience they just had with a product or with customer service. Social media compliments are the online equivalent of those old school references or testimonials of days past. Create a delicio.us account or use another social bookmarking utility and save all of these compliments in a list for future use. Potential clients looking for reassurance on a purchase decision would love to see what others think of your company and products.

The expressed need - The best way to watch for expressed needs is to look for keywords often used to describe those needs. People shout out what they are doing and ask the general public for advice occasionally when they are about to make a purchase. Both of these situations provide an opportunity to reach out with an offer of assistance or a free demo for example. While this may seem intrusive at first glance consider that great retail clerk who offers to help when you are trying to locate a pair of shoes in your size. A social media poster often appreciates that someone is listening and does not mind an offer of assistance expecially if it's done in a helpful way.

The competitor - If you are watching your industry and the keywords used to describe it you will probably be the first to know when a new competitor appears on the scene. From a competitive intelligence perspective you may also wish to be alerted any time a competitor's name is used. Knowing this may highlight opportunities to reach out to potential customers who have indicated they are trialing a competitor or dissatisfied with a competitor's product or service. You may also discover which industry players are advocates for competitive brands giving you the opportunity to reach out and see if they are interested in knowing more about what you have to offer. Competitors will also often talk about subjects they are strategically interested in and being able to stay on top of those discussions allows you to anticipate potential future moves.

The crowd - Topics will often pop up online that draw huge crowds from a page visits or commenting perspective. There is a lot to be learned in discussion threads especially when they have the potential to affect your brand. Following the swarms can give you a better understanding of current sentiment and thinking towards a certain topic and who the players are that have opinions on it. It also may point out a topic that you will need to monitor going forward. Tracking a topic's viral nature and how long it lives can give you an idea of its relative importance. You may also decide to participate in the crowd discussion thread early in the process, giving your company exposure to those currently involved in the discussion and to those yet to join.

The influencer - Influencers within a space can carry a lot of weight. They gain there power either from the number of times they post on a topic, the number of people who link to their posts on a topic, the number of people gathering to comment and how engaged visitors to their posts become. The hive that forms around an influencer helps spread an opinion on a brand faster and that opinion express potentially carries more weight. Often an influencer's post appears prominently in a topic's Google search results thus affecting the views of even more potential customers. Knowing who these influencers are and their opinions of your brands helps you determine who to reach out to for help as advocates or to understand why they currently hold a negative view.

The crisis -click here for the entire post!

Maria Elena Duron partners with Midland College to provide a lunchtime learning program, “Make Emotional Intelligence Work” for Midland College on August 28, 2008. To register or for more info, click here.

Chief Buzz Agent™ and Compelling Connections Coach Maria Elena Duron inspires identity for high performing entrepreneurs and executives energizing their passion focused future, engaging their personal brand on-line and off-line, leveraging their expertise and connections and generating “the talk that yields profits”. To claim your FREE gift, Crafting Your On-Brand Intro Toolkit, visit her site www.buzz2bucks.com . Ask Maria Elena branding & networking questions at www.askmariaelena.com

Well, it seems they still haven't got their stuff together!

Another "consultant" called us recently to let us know that the person we were dealing with had resigned (Gee... what a surprise!) and that he would be able to help us with any membership enquiries. We replied we would be interested in joining, but only on a "try before we buy" basis. After much humming and haaing, he advised that we would be able to attend an event that Wednesday, which we were very excited about. We requested that the information be emailed to us, and checked that the "consultant" had our contact information.

Nothing ever came.

A week later, another "consultant" emailed us to say they had found our original email on their database, and could he help us with anything?

Needless to say, we replied in no uncertain terms that our dealings with Business SA were less than satisfactory, and explained why we never wanted them to bother us again!

We are now waiting on an email from another "consultant" saying that the previous membership person had resigned, and they found our query on their database...

If your brand or firm is not participating in Social Media using tools that include a collection of blogs, wikis, forums, photos and videos sharing sites, then you really don't have an online presence.

These days Social Media such as forums, wikis and blogs in particular are playing a notable role in influencing the buying patterns of consumers. Often consumers look for opinions, user experiences and reviews on such sources before purchasing a product. Detecting influential nodes and opinion leaders and understanding their role in how people perceive and adopt a product or service provides a powerful tool for marketing, advertising and business intelligence. Look at these insights from a very comprehensive research study by Universal McCann.

• 73% of online users read a blog
• 57% join social networks
• 45% have started a blog
• 83% have viewed a video online
• 39% subscribe to RSS feeds
• 36% think more positively about companies that have blogs

I find the last insight extremely encouraging, and I hope that this will encourage you to rethink your brand's online marketing strategy.

What are your thoughts ? If you are running a highly successful offline business, how are you leveraging social media as a touch point with your customers ?

Image Courtesy

I've been participating in Seth Godin's Triiibe.  It's a gated community - no sales pitches - just on line marketers discussing the issues that effect them and their clients.  Triiibe was created in anticipation of Seth's new book Tribes - We need you to lead us.

So what happened this morning ?

A number of us in the UK received a note......

Dear Customer,

We wanted to give you an update on the status of your order #026......

We are sorry to inform you that we have been unable to obtain the following item:

  Seth Godin (Author) "Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us" [Hardcover]

This item has now been cancelled from your order and we can confirm that you have not been charged for it.

A polite but curt....we've dumped you !

Here at EGM we were a little disappointed to say the least. We've been talking to the UK publisher about creating an event around the launch of Tribes and wondered what happened....but I was more concerned, that there would be damage to the brand from the chatter that would soon break out....and sure enough !

Over the next 3 hours a small brush fire of posts start appearing accusing every one - the books author of a hoax - the retailer of not caring - the publisher of stuffing up the release.

EGM made numerous posts to the Triiibes site and sent e mails to and recieved responses from the publishers. Soon we were able to give an explanation with a link to the relivant page in Amazon.  It must also be noted that the community themselves did a great job of finding the correct information when the retailer had left them in the lurch.

The remarkable thing in all this from our point of view, was that the publishers seemed oblivious to the fact that there would be a reaction on line and that a social network would spread the news. Again to be fair - they wern't aware of the cancellations having gone out.

I'm not actually sure that even now they are aware of the chatter on line and this is my point.  That it's impotant now to ensure your product and brand is being cared for in all the on line enviroments.

It's genuinely surprising that when there are tools that make it so easy to communicate to groups of interested constituents what is going on - they don't get used.

Using these tools, like Twitter, social Networks, Blogs and the rest can kill rumors in their tracks or just let them spread.

EGM offers community management.....handling on line chatter.

Give us a call, and talk over the possibilities.

( Note : I am a participant in the Triiibes community as an individual. EGM does not have a corporate membership as such and my actions on the site today were as an individual rather than in a professional capacity. )

All businesses should place each and every one of their customers' needs on the top of their priority list. After all, it's the customers' who keep these businesses afloat.

As a consumer of products and services, I personally expect to be treated with respect; and my needs as a customer met. It doesn't matter whether it may be before, during and after my purchase.

I have heard of so many customer service horror stories and I never thought that I would one day be able to tell a horror story of my own. What is more alarming is that, I have been a customer of this telephone company and internet service provider (yes, the phone company provides DSL service) for years. I have had some problems with the service before, but I understand that sometimes the service goes down because they had to do some maintenance work. And I have only called them once, and that was when I was new to their service and didn't know they do some maintenance work from time to time. Good thing it only lasts for a few bearable hours.

So what really happened that brought this telephone company to a different light?

I wasn't surprised to find the service to be down. I thought they were doing their maintenance or upgrade, so I kept busy, hoping that when I get done, my phone service and internet access were already restored.

Well, that didn't happen.

By late afternoon, I still couldn't use the phone and couldn't get online. That's a whole day of work not done. I knew I had to call customer service and inform them of this terrible downtime, if they don't already know. I dialed the hotline number and waited.

Customer Service: Hello, this is Andy. How may I help you?

Me: Hello. My phone went dead and I can't connect to the internet since this morning. Are you doing some maintenance?

CS: Uh... can you hold on for a minute?

After a few minutes...

CS: Can I have your name and phone number, please, so I can cross-check if there is work being done in your area.

So I gave her my name and number, hoping that I will be given a satisfactory explanation as to why my phone and internet connection were out for an entire day.

A few more minutes passed and it felt like there's no one at the other end. So I decided to push a bit more.

Me: So what seems to be the problem? If there is work being done when can I expect my service to be back?

CS (in an irritated tone): Will you hold on, please? I'm trying to find out.

Me: You know what, I've been a client of your company for years and this is the first time I've ever been spoken to that way. I just want to know the reason why my phone went dead and when I can have my access back.

CS: Ok, lady. There's nothing on this in our file. No memo whatsoever that may have been connected to your complaint. I'm going to file a report on this issue. I will call you back when I have more information. Thank you for calling.

And the call ended.

What?! I deserved some courtesy here. For one thing, she did not even ask how I could be contacted. Of course she couldn't call my line, it's dead! Now how could she call me back? The most frustrating thing, for me, however, is that she did not even know what was happening! She's a customer service representative! She should have known what is happening around their company.

Annoyed, I decided to head back take a deep breath, clear my head and see if my phone service and internet would be back in the morning. Then I'll try calling again and hopefully, I will get a different customer service representative.

That night as I looked back to my conversation with the customer service representative, I figured there were things that should have been said or done to make the call amiable. I thought of three ways - a sense of calm, proper training and issue notifications.

A sense of calm

Both the customer service representative and I should have demonstrated a sense of calm. It encompasses several different things like respect, patience and cordiality. The customer service representative should have been more respectful and have conversed in an irritated tone. She should have been a little more cordial and helpful. After all, my business is their business. And their company should keep their customers happy. On the other hand, I should have respected her personal space and wait patiently until she has done with her job to find out what really went wrong with my service. Yes, I know I am annoyed at the service interruption, but customer service representatives are human, not computers. And although they do have computers to work with, some things still take a little time.

Proper Training

The company should have provided proper training to their customer service representatives. I actually thought that the representative was an outsourced manpower from a call center operation. Still, outsourced or not, proper training should have been provided to avoid rifts between clients and customer service representative.

Furthermore, proper protocols should have been laid. Like how to answer calls, how to forward issues to higher-level customer service and other things relating to documenting the issue and how to handle agitated clients like myself.

Issue Notifications

This incident would have been avoided had the company sent out an announcement to their representatives beforehand. For sure, maintenance or upgrades are scheduled. But if it were an emergency, the first people their technical team would inform are their customer service representatives. Why? Because these people are the company's front liners. They are the ones whom customers run to the moment things are screwing up with a product or service. So they should have been properly informed what technical problems the company is having and what is being done about it. The customers have a right to know what is happening to the service they paid their hard-earned money for.

Reflecting on the conversation that night made me realize, that it is not just the customer service representative who is responsible for the bad experience I have with their service. I have my part, too, and so does the company.

A great customer service experience is a collective effort of a patient customer, a well-trained representative and a responsible company.

Chief Buzz Agent™ and Compelling Connections Coach Maria Elena Duron helps high performing entrepreneurs and executives learn how to manage their personal brand on-line and off-line, leverage their expertise and connections and generate “the talk that yields profits”. To claim your FREE gift, Crafting Your On-Brand Intro Toolkit, visit her site www.buzz2bucks.com . Ask Maria Elena branding & networking questions at www.askmariaelena.com

By Peter Feld

NEW YORK (AdAge.com) -- Baby boomers and Gen Xers declared mass marketing dead long ago. We live in a world of fragmented media surrounded by cynical consumers who can spot and block an ad message from a mile away. But what Gen Xers and boomers may not realize is that the unabashed embrace of select brands by millennials, from technology to beverages to fashion, has made this decade a true golden era of marketing for those who know what they're doing. And when it comes to marketing, the Barack Obama campaign knows what it's doing.

Photo: Tony Pettinato

Mr. Obama's brand management, unprecedented in presidential politics, shows pitch-perfect understanding of the keys to appealing to the youngest voters.

Perhaps inevitably, among the first apps introduced for Apple's new iPhone -- the latest success from another millennial mass marketer -- was an Obama "Countdown to Change" calendar that ticks off the seconds until Election Day.

So what's the appeal to the under-30 set? True, the youth vote traditionally skews Democratic, but the difference this year is that Mr. Obama has actually motivated turnout. His success, it seems, is a result of both product and the branding behind it. The qualities he projects -- a cool, smooth aura, the communal values of hope and unity, his teeming crowds and his campaign's seamless graphics -- are the essence of appealing to millennials.

"Millennials want someone smart, funny and with a slight edge," observes Allison Mooney, who tracks youth trends for Fleishman-Hillard's Next Great Thing. Mr. Obama's occasional prickly moments, as when he dismissed Mr. McCain's recent ad comparing him to Paris Hilton -- "Is this the best you can do?" -- shows them he gets it. "Obama's kind of mellow. He doesn't have polarizing views."

On-message
Neil Howe agrees. Mr. Howe -- co-author with the late William Strauss of "Generations" (1991) and "Millennials Rising" (2001), which christened the generation -- said that Mr. Obama "has a certain coolness, detachment and a slight formality. He never loses his temper."

Then there's the messaging. Mr. Obama sticks very well to his script, said Mr. Howe.

And that hasn't gone unnoticed in most quarters. Wrote Newsweek's Andrew Romano, "Obama is the first presidential candidate to be marketed like a high-end consumer brand." His rising-sun logo echoes the one-world iconography of Pepsi, AT&T and Apple.

Design guru Michael Bierut told Romano that the stand-alone logo, consistent use of the Gotham typeface ("very American ... conversational and pleasant") and his online look and feel make Mr. Obama the first candidate with a "coherent, top-to-bottom, 360-degree system at work. ... There's an absolute level of control that I have trouble achieving with my corporate clients."

Mr. Obama's packaging might discomfit older generations, who may think of themselves as immune to mass marketing. But it is "no problem" for millennials, whom Mr. Howe sees as averse to chaos and unpredictability (a trouble spot for both the Hillary Clinton and John McCain campaigns), and are "very comfortable with a very smooth brand that has minimal turmoil."

Communal, pro-social
According to Mr. Howe, Gen Xers required niche marketing: "If too many people liked something, it wasn't cool." But mass brand experiences, from the iPod to Harry Potter, appeal strongly to millennials, who have been shown to be a more communal, pro-social generation than their predecessors.

While critics see Mr. Obama's penchant for mass gatherings as arrogant, Mr. Howe finds it perfect for millennials: "They're more civically connected, and they find strength in numbers."

According to Fleishman-Hillard's Ms. Mooney, the Obama campaign's mastery of cutting-edge social media, through the my.barackobama.com site (known internally as "MYBO"), is optimized for millennial appeal. For this generation, "the new pronoun is me, my. Using my-dot brings it to a personal level."

The MYBO site shows that Mr. Obama's campaign has made the leap from CRM (customer relationship management) to CMR (customer-managed relationship) better than many commercial marketers, according to Ms. Mooney. "Young people want to be in control of their relationship with a brand. They want to customize and personalize," as they can on iTunes, Mobile Me and YouLocate. The campaign's site allows this with its use of tagging, discussion boards, photo uploads and other interactive elements.

Of course, most young people will never find their way to the Obama site. But, as with commercial brands, those that do will be Mr. Obama's "passionistas" -- his power users and brand ambassadors.

Generational divide
Gen Xers and boomers may have assumed that today's youth are as anti-marketing as they once were; millennials' mass adoption of Mr. Obama's brand may puzzle or alienate them. After a video featuring celebrities like the Black-Eyed Peas' will.i.am and actress Scarlett Johansson crooning along with an Obama speech went viral last winter, a response mocking the mass Obama phenomenon was posted to YouTube, set to "Building a Religion" by quintessential Gen-X band Cake.

Pete Markiewicz, co-author with Mr. Strauss and Mr. Howe of "Millennials and the Pop Culture," said Gen Xer cynics Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert often lampoon the Obama campaign's messianic tendencies. Said Mr. Markiewicz, "Both Colbert and Stewart are liberal, but the worship of Obama sticks in their Xer craws."

John McCain's early-August success in erasing Mr. Obama's lead, with a campaign that directly attacks the Obama brand by mocking his celebrity status, shows that branding can cut both ways.

Which is not to say that Mr. Obama lacks appeal to voters ages 25 to 55. Polls generally show him beating Mr. McCain among voters under 60. And boomers, even if skeptical of mass-branding campaigns, may find the outpouring of youth supporting Mr. Obama reminiscent of their own experiences in the 60s.

But Mr. Howe believes Mr. Obama's appeal to Xers and boomers is "based on an older image of what the Democratic Party means" -- agreement with Mr. Obama on issues ranging from Iraq to the environment. Middle-aged voters may end up supporting Mr. Obama despite his branding campaign, rather than because of it.

Rock the vote
Because young people vote in such low numbers, some strategists question the wisdom of Mr. Obama's emphasis on appealing to them. But this year, Mr. Obama may have more success bringing new voters to the polls than in converting an ever-shrinking pool of undecided voters.

Citing surveys showing a rising percentage of young voters intending to take part this year, the Washington Post's E.J. Dionne believes the youth vote can be decisive for Mr. Obama in November.

A July 27 Gallup Poll shows both the dilemma for Mr. Obama and the opportunity: Among all registered voters, Mr. Obama led by three points. When the sample was reduced to an older-skewing pool of likely voters only, Mr. McCain led by four. If Mr. Obama can mobilize a fresh source of votes from the normally low-turnout millennials, while making sure to maintain sufficient appeal to older generations, his brand strategy may turn out to be decisive.

I always love to eat out, especially with my family, at least once or twice a month. I have a long list of my favorite eating joints, providing a perfect ambience and great food, with excellent customer service and a friendly staff. However, to end the long and somewhat tiring shopping spree, and in a bid to try something new, we decided to dine at a family restaurant that is a renowned eating place in the city that I live in.

With lots of expectations in our mind about this new place, we stepped in to be greeted with a warm welcome from the staff at the door. We got an impression that we were in for a great time ahead. The ambience seemed just about perfect for eating with family. Being the peak hours of the business, the place was full to capacity, and we were asked to wait until our table was ready. However, it seemed to be a long wait.

When we were finally seated at a table, we heaved a sigh of relief (for not having to go home without eating). However, no one bothered to acknowledge us. We guessed it right - they were short staffed. The waiter did arrive on the scene but did a disappearing act again only to show up not earlier than 15 minutes, ready to serve us (with the best of services, or shall we say the opposite of it, hah!). When we complained to him about this, he was quite rude.

Nevertheless, as we eagerly browsed through the exquisitely designed menu to have a look at the delicious delicacies (for which the place was famous, at least as far as we knew), we realized that most dishes were overpriced. However, we thought we would not mind paying something extra for good service. We finally placed an order and the much needed cold drinks for refreshing ourselves (after going through the initial extended waiting process at the restaurant). As we waited for the food to arrive, we felt excited to taste the delicacies. But no, that was not at all what was to happen. We were in for another surprise, this time a horrible one, for the waiter arrived with only half of the items we ordered, and we were left with no other option but to wait. When we wanted to contact the manager, he was not available. What a worse way of spoiling our day with our horrible tryst with that place! We were just thankful that the food was edible or, at least, average.

It was a real disappointment, with lousy service, inadequate sitting arrangements, rude and inattentive staff (especially the waiters), exorbitant prices, there was nothing worthwhile in that eating hell. One of the worst restaurants I have ever been, it's disgusting to visit that place whose name is actually a big shame.

What they need to do is really to focus on improving and exceeding their customers' expectations by extending outstanding customer services to become true to their name. They must put more thought into the seating arrangements for accommodating more people, and invest more money to have an adequate staff who are thoroughly professional and friendly with their customers. What they need to know is that a happy customer is the best word-of-mouth advertisement. By paying attention to the customers, they can make their way into their hearts and have them for a long, long time.

The dictum "Love thy customers, make them feel special and be delighted to have them" says it all!

Chief Buzz Agent™ and Compelling Connections Coach Maria Elena Duron helps high performing entrepreneurs and executives learn how to manage their personal brand on-line and off-line, leverage their expertise and connections and generate “the talk that yields profits”. To claim your FREE gift, Crafting Your On-Brand Intro Toolkit, visit her site www.buzz2bucks.com . Ask Maria Elena branding & networking questions at www.askmariaelena.com

[slideshare id=28886&doc=the-brand-gap-14630&w=425]

Thanks to Anthony from Driven Leaders for passing this along

It's intriguing to think how these negative results showing for major brand names such as U-Haul, are hurting business. You can practically search for any product or service these days and see consumer complaints. Is there a chance these complaints are being weighed too heavily by Google? How many consumers are turned off by the negative results? Are they then turning to the competition? Well, what if negative results are showing there too? Could the culmination of all of the negative results showing for popular brand names on Google be hurting our economy? 

I hope that Google will revisit the "importance" of this negative consumer feedback. I've never known a business providing a product or service that didn't upset at least one customer. These days, if the customer has a computer and can click in to the Rip-Off Report and start ranting, the damage is done. And, the Rip-Off Report will not take down any posts even if said poster recalls the post. I don't mean to zero in on Rip-Off Report - this is just one of many sites hosting negative consumer feedback. Oh, did I forget to mention My3cents.com?

It is 100% important for all companies to start considering their online reputation whether there is negative content or not. If I were the CEO of a Fortune 500 company, I would make sure that the search results showing for my brand name are leveraging the traffic searching for my brand name. In other words. I don't think people have converting in their way of thinking that search traffic for your brand equals investors, customers, clients, press and it shouldn't be an after thought to fortify your search results and put your best foot forward!

Until next time, this has been PopularMKTG.

Upfront - this is a rant!  Another local West Texas blogger, Damien Franco, "hit the nail on the head" when he wrote recently about the non-existent customer service in the Basin.  I agree even though I know that there are loads of people out there who are really doing the best that they can to provide great, friendly service.  And, granted, our unemployment rate is the lowest in the country, coupled with no affordable housing, means that we've got to work with what we have.

Sadly, I went to my local business financial institution and found a new lineup of tellers once again.  Sigh...no familiar faces.  Hey, but we're all competing with the oil patch and every other place that has a "help wanted" sign hanging on their front door, marquee, window, menu, and, yes, even on radio station ads (believe it or not!).  When I was in Vegas a few days ago, I was reminded that, yes, the rest of the country is seeing an abundance of workers and limited jobs, while we're ‘upside down' here.

Now, here's where the non-existent customer service comes in:

• I was NEVER ONCE referred to by my name - ever. And they have my deposit slip and my account RIGHT IN FRONT of them. Even Target cashiers, who only have a few thousand come through their lines who may only shop with them once, will pick up a name off a credit card, debit card or check. What can be DONE? Have ANYONE who MAKES ANY CONTACT with a customer read the book "How to Win Friends and Influence People" - several times. You'll be amazed at what wisdom rolls out of that book especially given some experiential knowledge under your belt. Go quickly to Chapter 3 in the book on the 5 things to know or, as I refer to them, "The Rules of Engagement". #1 Rule: A person's own name is the sweetest sound they'll ever hear. Someone in customer service, ESPECIALLY A TELLER, should have this down! It's kind of like one of those simple things similar to "Never leave the cash drawer open unattended." It really is one of those moments when you want to reach across the counter and do a quick "I should have had a V-8" smack to the forehead!
• I was spoken to in the THIRD PERSON so I could really SAVOR the feeling that I was a number. "'Our members are expected to do this." "As a member, you are REQUIRED to do this." "Our guidelines and policies are the RULES for our members that they have to follow." YIKES!!! Yes, that's what I'm searching for when I interact with someone who could provide SERVICE for an organization. SPOUT THE RULES AND REGS to me - that'll leave me satisfied and speaking positively on your behalf - NOT! And, understand, when these "policies and procedures" are being recited, the teller looks like her eyes have gone up into her head to retrieve some sacred file that she is now reciting to me brainlessly. No reaction, no smile and NO EYE CONTACT! Is that just not the picture of customer service?! Now, know that NOT EVERYONE, and certainly not every teller, is like this. There are some awesome ones who I also know by name, and I was saddened to not see them there. In fact, one of the tellers, I even send thank-you notes to on a regular basis because she's absolutely a delight to work with and speaks to you as an INDIVIDUAL. (Gads! What a notion, right?) She asks me about my husband, my kids (OMG!) My question is: Who's "the boss" in a relationship with a financial institution - the customer or the institution? Seems to me I see an institution cropping up on Big Spring Street, Wadley, Midland Drive, and Wadley and the Loop. (Whoa! I think I have "choices"!)
• This next statement was just one that makes you go "hmmmmm..." Here's what she (the "stellar" teller) said - "We suffer for being LENIENT with YOU MEMBERS on these GUIDELINES that YOU HAVE TO follow. We need the RIGHT BEHAVIOR from you SO WE CAN PROTECT YOU." Well, what do you say to that? I am so VERY SURE there's a better way to say that - absolutely sure.

The HERITAGE of customer service is gone... with every turnover, every untrained team member, any person who makes direct contact with your customer.  FORGET what the plaques say on the wall, it's the person that's belly to belly with your customer that IS THE COMPANY.  Period.

Chief Buzz Agent™ and Compelling Connections Coach Maria Elena Duron helps high performing entrepreneurs and executives learn how to manage their personal brand on-line and off-line, leverage their expertise and connections and generate “the talk that yields profits”. To claim your FREE gift, Crafting Your On-Brand Intro Toolkit, visit her site www.buzz2bucks.com . Ask Maria Elena branding & networking questions at www.askmariaelena.com

This is another creative advertising initiative. It was created in Vancouver during the National Non-Smoking Week. The car was placed at the Vancouver Art Gallery and the message reads ‘Death from car accidents: 370, Death from smoking-related causes: 6,027, Quit now before it kills you.’

The visual presentation is relevant and accentuates the clear and short caption. Visual and message convey that smoking kills and draw a comparison to establish severity of problem.

Retailers are getting such a strong control over FMCG that in cause is the future of many brands giants. In UK for instance (and many other countries), Tesco, Marks and Spencer and other retailers are having a whole portfolio of products ranging from low priced to premium products, presenting consumers a wide variety of interesting products at the same level of other brands.

Well developed retail stores with only their own brands are leaving no reason to choose others, and new concepts arise on the marketing of these brands and stores, making everything effectively more attractive. The knowledge and connection retailers can have on the consumer is huge.. targeting well which products should be on the shelves and how to market them.

On the side of the consumer, he or she is more rational on this type of shopping, rather than emotional - making some brands more vulnerable. When quality reaches the same point of well known brands, with lower prices or higher added value, their decision changes.

In the future I envision a P&G supermarket. A direct connection with consumers on a physical platform or a effective online shop spurring sales within new channels for this organizations - their own channel.

The cost of implementation could be crucial, the deterioration of relations with retailers would be a major factor, but maybe the cost of today's profit shrinking is a sign change will happen.

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It already has offices in London and New York and is currently looking for a location in Amsterdam, which it will open at the start of next year.

Marque managing director Mark Noe said: "Being in Amsterdam makes sense because of the amazing access it gives us to real design talent and its close proximity to several other European cities."

He plans to open several more studios around the world, including the Far East and west coast of America, with the aim of positioning Marque as an international branding firm, rather than a local design agency.

Over the next six years, three more studios will be opened. So far, Marque's expansion has been self-financing, but it has facilities with Royal Bank of Scotland if it needs to raise investment.

Noe said Marque is run as a collective, with each studio being able to call on the services of others in the network. Glasgow remains the head office, with around 17 employees based there.

The firm has a diverse range of high-profile clients, including Coutts, Dow Jones, KPMG and the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

SERVICE AND SAVVY

I just spent an entire day at the Palazzo in Las Vegas. It's the newest addition to the Venetian hotel although it is a separate place it is still connected to the Venetian (and it's fabulous forum shops, river canal and amazing eateries).

Of course, I had to join the Club Grazie and armed with my personalized card and stylish gold chain (no springing chords at the Palazzo) I had a chance to spend some of my time enjoying the gaming. The definition of Palazzo is:

PALAZZO n., pl. -zi (-sē) or -zos.

A large splendid residence or public building, such as a palace or museum.

The strength and the splendor of their brand is exuded in the interaction between the staff, hosts and guests. It show in it's décor, music and environment. Remember, I mentioned the springy chord? If you've ever been to Vegas and gotten one of those "frequent player cards", then you may have the same collection I do of cards along with the "telephone chord" like attachment to make sure that you don't forget your card in the machine. The Palazzo stands out because it has the only gold chain chord with it's beautiful logo engraved at the end of it! Everything about the Palazzo is congruent with who they are, what they stand for, what they want to portray and what they actually portray.

Can you say the same for you?

The shops were absolutely beautiful! From Jimmy Choo shoes at $4000 a pair, to Cole Hahn Nike Air high heels, the working woman's shoe, to a Coach shop, it all exuded the elegance or a palace of shopping. While not the Caesar's Forum Shoppes, the Palazzo can definitely compete especially with their $600,000 Lamgurghini (or lamborghini ) on display! The only thing missing was the Gucci shop - had there been one of those it would have been the ultimate shopping experience for me!

What's the take away from the Palazzo? Three branding principles:

• Be constant - you can have variety and even some surprise but you must have a familiar underlying theme that is completely and totally your brand.
• Be congruent - everything must align from your language, your dress, the bathrooms of your facilities to the people who says hello and the one who mops up the floor.
• Be clear - what is your brand? Jacks of all trades are masters of none. There is truth in that cliché'!

Chief Buzz Agent™ and Compelling Connections Coach Maria Elena Duron helps high performing entrepreneurs and executives learn how to manage their personal brand on-line and off-line, leverage their expertise and connections and generate “the talk that yields profits”. To claim your FREE gift, Crafting Your On-Brand Intro Toolkit, visit her site www.buzz2bucks.com . Ask Maria Elena branding & networking questions at www.askmariaelena.com

Kimberly-Clark si rifà il look. Il gruppo inglese cambia la visual identity del marchio di carta igienica Scottex con un packaging più chiaro ed esplicativo, che mette il cagnolino Scotty, simbolo del brand, al centro della comunicazione e dà una maggiore visibilità a scaffale all'intera gamma di prodotti.

La nuova identità visuale di Scottex mette in primo piano il legame fortissimo tra il brand e il cucciolo di labrador, icona storica del marchio, e gioca su tre fattori fondamentali: Scotty diventa protagonista del pacco e acquisisce un ruolo esplicativo per il consumatore, il logo cambia con un lettering più giovane, e il packaging, rinnovato nella grafica, viene declinato in tre toni cromatici ben distinti per rendere immediatamente riconoscibili le varianti - Tradizionale, Salvaspazio e Maxirotolo.

"Il nuovo look di Scottex non è semplicemente un restyling del packaging ma il risultato di una strategia volta a definire una più chiara ed distinta identità di marca, che consente una visibilità a scaffale maggiore e aumenta la riconoscibilità del prodotto - commenta Roberta Campio, Marketing Director Family Care in Kimberly-Clark Italia. - Il 51% delle famiglie italiane sceglie Scottex: questo dato evidenzia in modo chiaro  il legame di fedeltà e fiducia nei confronti del marchio."

A partire da luglio sugli scaffali della GDO si potranno trovare i nuovi pacchi di Scottex tradizionale dalla sfumatura di colore rosa chiaro con Scotty che gioca con il rotolo; di Scottex Salvaspazio, caratterizzato da un pacco fucsia, che vedrà il cucciolo di Labrador intento a schiacciare il rotolo per renderlo Salvaspazio. Sul pacco azzurro di Scottex Maxirotolo, infine, Scotty sarà impegnato in uno dei suoi giochi preferiti, srotolare l'extralunghezza del rotolo massima durata di Scottex. Su tutti e tre i pacchi ci sarà il nuovo logo con un nuovo font in bold type su sfondo bianco, più visibile rispetto al colore di sfondo della confezione, che permetterà un'istantanea identificazione prodotti del brand Scottex.

Come sui pacchi, il Labrador Scotty sarà protagonista anche del piano di lancio della nuova identità visuale della gamma Scottex carta igienica che si articolerà in una campagna stampa sui principali magazine rivolti al grande pubblico, iniziative di PR e attività sul punto vendita, con materiali per aumentare la visibilità a scaffale dei nuovi pacchi e gift alle casse.  ( affaritaliani.it )

Le marché de l´affichage indoor roumain

Il est né en Roumanie il y a trois-quatre ans. Les recettes ont presque doublé chaque année pour atteindre, selon les estimations du groupe, plus de 4 millions € nets en 2007. 8 millions € sont anticipés en 2008.

Monopoly Media capterait 65% du marché.

Outre ce dernier, les principaux acteurs sont Indoor Media (affichage statique et dynamique dans les universités, cinémas et clubs de sport), Elevate (affichage statique dans les ascenseurs), Brand Management (affichage statique dans les centres commerciaux) et Sugar Media (affichage statique dans les centres commerciaux, aéroports, cinémas + régie cinéma on-screen).

Monopoly Media

Le groupe a généré 2,7 millions € de chiffre d´affaires en 2007. Il anticipe plus de 3 millions € en 2008 et plus de 5 millions € en 2009.

Il exploite aujourd´hui plus de 2400 écrans sur différents univers indoor, soit (selon le site internet de la compagnie) :

- Supermarchés : 20 Billa, 7 Carrefour, 2 Cora, 23 Metro, 6 Real, 5 Kaufland.

- Centres commerciaux : City Mall Bucuresti, Plaza Mall Bucuresti, Emil Mall Galti, Euro Mall Pitesti, Macromall Brasov, Promenada Sibiu

- Pharmacies : 89 enseignes Sensiblu

- Banque : 101 agences Société Générale

- Fast-food : 45 restaurants McDonald´s et 5 restaurants KFC

- Aéroports : Aéroport International Henri Coanda de Bucarest

- Bars et Pubs : + 150 sites à Bucarest

- Magasins d´électronique : Media Galaxy et Altex

- Centres de soin : 40 sites à Bucarest

Les perspectives du groupe

Monopoly Media va introduire un nouveau ternminal juke-box pour son réseau BarTV : une base de plus de 10 000 vidéos seront accessibles et commandées à partir d'un écran tactile par le barman ou le DJ (un système qui ressemblerait donc à l´offre Genie 3 d´Avanti Screen Media).

Le réseau accueillera également un système de mesure d´audience reposant sur une caméra et une solution d´analyse d´image  (un communiqué d´un des usuals suspects du secteur  - Quividi, TruMedia, Wututu, etc. - est donc prochainement à attendre).

Le groupe a par ailleurs signé cette année avec les banques RCB et Unicredito pour la mise en place de réseaux opérationnels à l´automne.

Enfin, Gabriel Faflei annonce le lancement pour la rentrée d´un nouveau projet, encore tenu confidentiel, qui devraient générer plus de 2,5 millions € de recettes en 2009.

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The Brand Strategy blog recently reported that Twitter has grown in the UK by an remarkable 631 %. The Brand Strategy article goes on to question why this is, and if the social media environment can truly sustain growth or will people just get bored with these widgets, sites and tools eventually.

We commented and offer some of that thinking for your consderation now.

EGM has been using Twitterfor a little while now.  Rather than as a general broadcast around company activities, we use Twitter to keep specific clients informed of project progress during time critical and high activity periods. ( We Tweet - the Twitter term for posting an entry. ) 

An example of this is informing interested parties as to the progress of an event install or progress on video shoots when in the field. (Twitter updates can be made from a mobile phone as well as via PC. )

This allows teams working on a project to be informed and keeps mobile and e mail interaction down at times when they may be more interuptive than usual.

We've been encouraging Community managers and Brand managers to use Twitter to build expectation in the run up to project and brand launches and sales conferences etc.

Adding Twitter to your communications mix can also be fun way to build community around Word of Mouth campaigns particularly where you're aiming to develop a tribe for your brand that are txt and web savvy.

As we develop our offering here, we'll try to find and infrom you of more usefull on line and off line tools.

Consider annual sales, future sales, the cost of that extensive brand launch and the brand positioning exercise you recently engaged in. Then think about the cost of re building your brand if something were to tarnish the name and reputation of your brand.

The blood sweat and tears that you and your staff have put into and developing your brand should not be forgotten or discounted.

If your holding an event where your brand ( and company or CEO ) are represented, that event should reflect your brand qualities and characteristics.  A brand related event is a physical manifestation of your brand as staff are representatives of it.

It's tempting to try cut the costs by holding an event or communicating your message using a cheap supplier. However all you are doing is cheapening your brand. 

Never ever purchase on price.  Purchase on the quality of the work, the imaginative approach of the supplier and how a brilliant clever supplier will come to your rescue when you tell them that times are tight.

There will always be some mug out there willing to cut a corner and cheapen your brand to win the job.

Brand and Community managers should be protecting the value and integrity of your brand by selecting suppliers on the creativity and brilliance of their ideas.  As soon as you make your suppliers compete on price - you're going to get a cheap job.

A brilliant and imaginative creative appraoch will always win the day. 

Ensure your suppliers are competitive and honest in their pricing. Get competitive or check quotes. ( tell the supplier this is what you are doing. ) However ensure you base your decision on suppliers by the quality of what they are delivering and the value they add to your brand.

A wonderful event doesn't have to cost the earth.

Don't let a cheap supplier cost you your brand.

You will definitely be glad you were one of the few people who actually attend the conference they had the company pay for, because when you get back to the office, you will be blinding everyone with your branding awesomeness. Sorry for the shameless quote  from Kung Fu Panda, I've been dying to use it.

Join Us At The Year's Best Branding Conference!

Here's Just A Few Of The Speakers You'll See At Brand ManageCamp:

David Aaker Branding Legend Best-selling Author "Managing Brand Equity" and 14 other books	Robyn Waters Former VP of Trend & Design Target	Joseph Pine Best-selling Author "Authenticity"	David M. Scott Best-selling Author "The New Rules of Marketing & PR"
Click Here For The Full Agenda...